Take Model Ships Back!
by CDR Sheridan
Summary: "Pew-pew, I'm a Reaper! I'm the Vanguard of your destruction!" "I'm the Normandy, the fastest ship in the Alliance fleet!" "And I'm Commander Shepard and you, two, return my model ships back!"


There was usual silence in the cargo bay, sometimes interrupted with grinding sounds and some cries of exclamation.

"She wouldn't notice..." Vega said once again, mostly trying to persuade himself rather than his 'partner in crime'.

"Right," Major confirmed. "I certainly hope she won't notice or it will end badly."

"Steve," there was a woman's voice, which both failed to notice. "Have you seen Alenko? Or Vega, maybe? I need to discuss some questions, about the positioning of our troops on the... Never mind, another boring problem."

Pilot silently nodded toward Vega's corner and returned to his labour of love - repairing the already working shuttle.

Shepard, still staring at her datapad, came closer and froze, lowering the device.

"Pew-pew, I'm a Reaper! I'm the Vanguard of your destruction!" Vega, seizing the model with both his hands, tried to imitate some aerobatics, that would make Joker and EDI jealous.

"I'm the Normandy, the fastest ship in the Alliance fleet and I'll fly away!" Alenko, sitting on the floor, made some evasive maneuvers.

"And I'm Commander Shepard and you, two, return my model ships back!" she cried, when she was able to speak again.

Alenko and Vega simultaneously turned their heads to the CO and froze. There was an awkward silence with some metallic grinding sound - phlegmatic Cortez continued polishing the shuttle.

"Eh... Commander?" James said, when the silence lasted for too long. "I've found the old Normandy in those boxes... by accident... wanted to return it... really!"

"And the engineers discovered this one," Alenko nodded toward the miniature giant Reaper in Vega's hands. "Adams gave it to me and asked to return it to you... Hey-hey-hey, Shepard, calm down!"

Commander breathed out loudly.

"So, I look for those ship everywhere... while you, two, playing here?!" she asked ominously, throwing the datapad on the table.

"Well..." there was not a bit of remorse in Lieutenant's voice. "There's a lot of them in your cabin, if I remember that!"

"Should I guard them too?" Shepard asked darkly. She sat down on the floor near Major. "So?"

Alenko sighed so ruefully, as if Shepard wanted to take his soul, and stretched the Normandy to her. Vega was still holding the reaper close to his heart.

"Commander... Can I return this one to you a little later?" he asked with a glimpse of hope in his voice. His eyes were very honest.

"Ah, yes, later! If you won't lose it, then you most certainly break it!" Shepard hemmed, grabbing the ship. At the last minute Kaidan changed his mind and grasped the model ship from his side.

"By the way, you could tell me!" Shepard pouted.

Alenko and Vega were embarrassed. Kaidan even loosen his grip, and Commander wrested the ship from his hands, though she was close to falling on the floor.

"Shepard, you're..." Major stopped, obviously confusing.

"Commanding officer of this ship?" she suggested maliciously, cuddling the model.

"Girl!" Vega continued, full of suffering. "You used to play with something else, didn't you?"

Shepard gasped for breath with rage. Then she swiftly moved forward, trying to punch Lieutenant. He dodged the blow in the last moment.

"And very sensitive," Kaidan added, rubbing the sore forehead. He wasn't so lucky or fast as Vega.

"We asked you to watch the biotic football with us!" James remembered. "You refused."

"To watch two asari teams?" Commander asked skeptically. "I'm not interested in their exchange of sport shirts after the match!"

Kaidan, taking advantage of the opportunity, seized the Normandy from Shepard's hands.

"We also invited Garrus," Vega admitted. "But he failed to find a turian frigate in this mess and had to return to play with his gun."

"Shepard, don't be such a greedy person," Major suggested.

"I don't actually!" Shepard whined. She raised on her feet , grabbed a pistol from the bench and pointed it to Alenko and Vega.

"Not loaded." Cortez commented while keep polishing the shuttle.

"Bang!" Shepard 'shot'. "You're dead! And if I take my sniper rifle... Can I play with you? Please!"

Kaidan and James exchanged glances once again.

"Okaaay," Lieutenant permitted. She also was CO, by the way.

"And bring your other models too!" Kaidan demanded. "It will be more fun."

Shepard gladly ran to her cabin.

"Besides, we can talk about the strategy too!" she cried from the elevator.

"Esteban, are you with us?" James asked the pilot. Cortez didn't answer, but the sound of polishing got louder.

* * *

Kaidan, worn out after the long working day, returned to the Captain's quarters - now to his own quarters, after he had been appointed the Commanding Officer of the Normandy by Admiral Hackett, and seated himself in the chair near the terminal.

His stare automatically stopped on the old SR1 model, or, more exactly, on the little crack near the wing, where they had managed to break it. Though the model had been repaired immediately, the crack was still barely visible.

From that moment Kaidan hadn't touch this ship - every time he thought that Shepard would come back. Most likely, he alone still believed in this.

The terminal on the table suddenly turned on, revealing the image of real SR1 on the screen. Kaidan frowned, as he recalled, he had tried to shut it off for some times.

It seemed the devices had been broken and need some repairs.

Then Kaidan, in a sudden impulse, moved the glass panel aside and took the SR1 model in his hands.

* * *

R&amp;R, please!


End file.
